Just making sure.

[hmsterlvr]

So me and my brother just got two chinese dwarf hamsters. They are both female and raised together. They are still pretty young and for a while today one of them has been like i want to say chirping but i dont know for sure maybe it is more like clucking. Is it normal. Right now only one of them is doing it?

[mangoandmimi]

i think its just one of them being more dominant, putting the other one into its place :P Topaz does this a lot to Sapphire and she just backs down :')
Pop also sometimes does it to pip:)
its fine, i wouldnt worry, but keep a very close eye on them as chineses have a reputation for wanting their own space and not getting along with others too well ..;) xx

[hmsterlvr]

Okay thank you I will try to watch them. I asked in a different thread but I guess it wouldnt hurt to ask again. Do they HAVE to have a hiding house because they seem to spend all of there time in the house but when I take it out they walk around. I am just afraid they are fighting in the house and since it is dark I cant see. So do they really need it or are they fine burrying themselves?

[mrnibblesmommy]

hey M&M i'd love to add u to FB if you have it, send me ur link if u wanna be friends on there :) and welcome to the HC hamsterlover :)

[racinghamster]

Hi. It`s so important that you leave the two girls to settle in. What type of sleeping house do they have? Don`t use anything plastic as this is too hot and causes condensation. I use an old tea box with a door cut into it and no floor. But this is just because my female loves it so I don`t want to deprive her of her little cardboard house!

Be warned that two female chinese may be volatile if kept together, so have another cage/tank spare for immediate seperations if any fights start to break out. This is a common occurence with females, but you might be lucky and they will co-habit forever. It really depends on them and how they are treated.

Chinese hamsters are active after around 10:00pm in the evenings, so I would leave them to sleep through the day to be quite honest. You will see them in and out periodically to pee and have a drink and perhaps because you have a pair, they might be more active at different times, but be very patient and gentle with them until they settle in. Don`t lift them out of their cage all the time because this can stress them. The noises you are hearing could be related to stress, so it`s very important not to overdo the handling.

Chinese hamsters don`t like change, so again, try and keep their accessories in the same place and only do half cage cleans. Keep half the old bedding and litter.

I absolutely adore these little hamsters and think they are so underestimated as pets. They live the longest of all the hamster species and rarely nip, if at all. They just need more understanding due to their shy natures, which is why they don`t always make the best pets for young children due to their timidity.

Keep a close eye on this chirping noise. It may be that one is communicating with the other, or it could mean one is not happy or ill, so keep a close eye on their breathing and air any shavings you use because pine shavings can be very aromatic. I use Aubiose (a horse bedding/substrate) which is derived from Hemp and is much better. It`s avalable online or in stable/farm suppliers. It comes in 20kg bales and works out cheaper than shavings.

Keep us updated on your girls. :)

[mangoandmimi]

i dont actually have chineses but im just going by my research over time..
you dont *have* to have a house, you can just have a few piles of bedding and they will sort it out between them :) if you have houses, make sure you have 2 houses and they both have multiple exits meaning that if they want to get out, they can get out at the same time without arguing over who can get out first :P
racinghamsters covered most of it lol, but yeah, goodluck with them :)x
(and mrnibblesmommy ill pm you)

[thelittleteacup]

you've already had the best advice from racing hamsters :) just wanted to add that my chinese sort of 'chirrips' when she's not happy...usually when my OH has attempted to pick her up, she really doesnt like him. the noise may just be they are talking to each other,some hamsters are more vocal than others its all down to personality! just keep a close eye on them, ive attemped to keep one pair of male chinese together they had to be spilt at about 7 months in, chinese are hard to keep together !

good luck and keep us updated ! x

[thelittleteacup]

I absolutely adore these little hamsters and think they are so underestimated as pets. They live the longest of all the hamster species and rarely nip, if at all. They just need more understanding due to their shy natures, which is why they don`t always make the best pets for young children due to their timidity.

hello racing hamster :)



do they really live the longest ! i never knew this! what is their life expentancy?

x

[Vectis Hamstery]

As racinghamster says, a pair of girls is more prone to fighting than boys. Make sure you have two of everything, and scatterfeed rather than using a bowl. A single level cage is best. M&M's point about houses having more than one exit is a good one - a wooden bridge is a good house as one hamster can't pin the other inside, and tubes are good too. Also cardboard boxes as you can cut two entrances yourself. My girls seem more timid than the boys, who will sleep in open nests. As they settle they should come out more, but you most likely will have to lift the house to get them out in the beginning.

I expect my Chinese to get to 2 years old. I recently lost one aged 3 years and 11 months. They do take longer to mature and grow than other hamsters and often only are coming into their prime at about 1 year old.